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Sunday, September 25, 2011

Today I stopped by an Open House in the neighborhood.
This is a 3 bedroom bungalow with 2 and a half baths over on Lanier; an easy walk to Elon's and the Family Dog.

According to the listing the house was built in 1925.

The style is 1920s all the way with modern additions.

Upon very close inspection we determined that the front porch originally stretched all the way across the front. The old porch column pillars are visible behind the bushes. I told you it was close inspection.

This house has been in the same family forever. It was renovated by an heir back in the early '90s--that's 1990's.

Let's take the tour:

The front door opens into the living room--thankfully the door is offset...

with the fireplace over to the side. There are five--count 'em five windows in the living room--and they're original with wavy glass--8 panes over one. Such classic styling.

To the right is an addition--they built in half the front porch back in the 1940s or '50s making an office or den. The knotty pine paneling and pine bookcases are almost cool. I prefer my knotty pine painted, but lots of folks like it as it is.

Next is the dining room--very classic. A word about the oriental rug;

this one is awesome--its naturally worn. Patina, baby, patina.

I wouldn't be surprised to find it was original to this house.

There's a center hall with a new modern staircase that leads to two bedrooms and a bath upstairs.

The doors along the hall open into the laundry closet with stacked washer and dryer, storage closets, the basement stairs and a powder room.

Originally the stairs were narrow and twisted their way up. In the renovation they were relocated and extended--much better, believe me.

A new galley kitchen was added with modern styled cabinets and Silestone, I believe. For a galley kitchen, this one isn't bad; there's plenty of counter space and tons of cabinets. It feels roomy. The light fixtures are a little dated and I'd rather have a white kitchen, but again--to each his own.

The dishwasher has to be 20 years old, but it's a Kitchenaid so it'll probably never die.

This family room is part of the addition.
Again, the lighting is not my cup of tea, but it's a really nice space right off the kitchen.

Now for the reason I wanted to see this house:

it has a vanishing threshold.

In layman's terms you walk out onto a patio.

I gotta have that.

The master bedroom was added, too, and you walk right out through the vanishing threshold.

And the master bath. It's very 1990s but the space is great.

The addition was designed by an architect who just happens to be the owner.
You can always tell an architect designed addition--it just looks better.

Now, if I were to buy this house there is one big huge thing I'd do...

that's build a pool right here.

The rest of the house would be a piece of cake to redecorate, but it takes a special lot to have this:

Thursday, September 22, 2011

This month I've been neck deep in finishing our upstairs-- both of those of you who have read my blog for a while know we've been remodeling this house for going on two years. In fact, we bought it in November of 2009 and started knocking out walls in winter of 2010--it's now September 2011.

We're finally finishing the master bedroom suite and the two upstairs bedrooms and bath. I'll be so happy to move upstairs and have my own sink--not that I mind sharing, but sharing a pedestal sink is a little too much togetherness for me.

In the course of finishing things I've had to finish unpacking--it's way too easy to just leave things we don't use in boxes. I've gotten used to less stuff so I wonder why I'm unpacking--but I am.

The other day I unpacked two boxes of books--it was kinda fun finding books I haven't seen in a couple of years; the Bill Bryson books, some old decorating books, a set of books from Steve's parents. I carted them all down to the living room and stowed them away in the bookcases--in a real mess until I get in the mood to "do the book shelves".

So until that spark of inspiration hits, I've been noticing bookcases.
I think I might have stumbled upon another trend.

I think, especially in bungalows and cottages where space is limited and rooms have to do double duty, a table in the kitchen makes total sense. Plus to eat, I'd much rather sit at a real table and on a real chair than perch on a stool at an island. However--here's the disclaimer--tables don't provide the storage space of an island. There's always that pesky give and take.

A while ago my husband and I decided we'd go on an adventure. So, we sold the house we'd raised our kids in, unloaded fifteen years of stuff and moved from the suburbs into "town". We like to think we're part of a new trend.